Fourchon Island Project could boost local economy

Oil prices have struggled for the close to a half-decade now — a damaging blow to our local economy.

But officials at Port Fourchon say future forecasts are looking good and projects could be in the works that could take the future of the port to the next level when oil rebounds.

Fourchon Executive Director Chett Chiasson said last week that plans are in the works to deepen Port Fourchon’s Belle Pass Channel. A feasibility report has been done on the project and has been submitted to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and The Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works. That report aims to show the economic justification for the project, which officials at the port say are apparent.

If approved, port officials would begin dredging in hopes of building a facility on Fourchon Island that would enhance the port’s service capabilities to the oil and gas industry.

Chiasson said he thinks the project is a no-brainer. But for now, the port sits and waits and hopes for good news in the near future.

“We hope to have an approved report by the end of this year,” Chiasson said. “Right now, we’re in the review process. We’re keeping our fingers crossed and we’re knocking on wood. This could change the way that we do business at the port and add another layer to the services we provide to the oil and gas industry.”

If approved, the next phase in pushing the project forward would be getting funding in place for the project. If successful, Fourchon would then work with the corps to begin dredging in the next couple of years.

That, alone comes with benefits.

Chiasson said the process of dredging Belle Pass to 50 feet deep would create 20 million yards of cubic material. Of that 20 million yards of cubic material, 12 million of those are needed for mitigation.

But the rest — 8 million yards of cubic material — can go back to the coast, which is why Chiasson said officials at the port are so excited about this project.

“That other 8 million yards of cubic material is a valuable resource we can use for the coastal master plan to go towards marsh creation in our area,” Chiasson said. “This project is as much an environmental project as it is an economic project. That’s why we’re so excited about it. For us, we feel like it’s taking care of two birds with one stone. We’re helping the coast and also working to secure the future of the port and all of our tenants.”

Chiasson said over a 50-year lifespan of the project (the amount of time necessary to examine in the feasibility report), experts have concluded that another 66 million cubic yards of material would be generated for maintenance.

“In a sediment-starved area, we’re going to create a renewable resource of material that we can utilize to protect the assets of the port, the assets of our community and to protect ourselves from storm surges, high water and all of those things that we’re now more vulnerable to because of the land loss this area has suffered.”

Chiasson said approval of the project would be a game changer for Southeast Louisiana’s coastal economy.

He said a Fourchon Island facility would create 1,200-1,500 jobs to the area, while also enhancing the ways that the port services the oil industry. That, Chiasson believes, would make the port more attractive and would be good for the business of tenants, as well.

“It steps up our game and allows us to continue to attract more businesses into the region,” Chiasson said.

That project, combined with an ongoing effort to bring a LNG Facility to Fourchon in the coming years could bring more than $1.2 billion in investment to Fourchon over the next 3-5 years — a number that Chiasson said serves as proof that while the oil and gas industry is down, it’s not going to go anywhere anytime soon.

Chiasson said progress with the LNG facility has been a little slow, but constant. He said that project, too, would be a huge economic boost to a local economy that is in need of some good news after so many years of struggles.

“We’re looking at more than a billion dollars in investment,” Chiasson said. “That’s amazing for us. We’re looking to take things a step up from where we’ve been in the past and we think that by being able to become a full-service port facility, we can do that.” •

Fourchon Island Project

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